• We'd be amiss if we didn't urge you to catch an encore presentation of The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans at the Siskel this weekend. It screens once on Sunday and again Monday night. Seeing it last year was hands down one of the funnest times we've ever had at the movies, a guilty pleasure consciously overstuffed with so many cop movie clichés it's hilarious. The paring of filmmaker Werner Herzog's dry-as-dust humor and Nicholas Cage's unhinged performance is stuff that cult films are made of. Along with the iguana. When you go, keep your eyes peeled for a cameo by Michael Shannon.
• The 2010 Chaz and Roger Ebert Truer than Fiction Award-winner, 45365, screens this Saturday and Sunday at Facets. Named after the zip code for Sidney, Ohio, this documentary by brothers Bill and Turner Ross examines 21st-century small town America in ways that are both heartwarming and surprising. TimeOut London calls it "a dizzingly detailed, thoughtful, sympathetic but highly pragmatic celebration of the modern Midwest in all its beauty, complexity, stupidity and brilliance," and gives the movie its highest rating.
• Speaking of Mr. Ebert, in a recent blog post he confirms plans for a new TV show. He's a bit coy, writing, "I can't reveal details about the talks we're deeply involved in," but promises that "the Thumbs will return." Yes, Thumbs with a capital T.

Oh man, we almost forgot about the Children's Museum debate! Luckily, Alderman Brendan Reilly wants to keep it front and center, which is why he sent the Museum a list of 24 possible places it could relocate that aren't Grant Park: more ›

We read somewhere that the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (formerly the Chicago Academy of Sciences) is one of the least visited of the Chicago museums, but it’s one of our favorite places in the city to bring our toddler. Unlike the MSI, the Notebaert’s exhibits are accessible to those under three feet tall. The taller displays have low interactive panels and those that don’t have stools nearby. And the bugs! What kid doesn’t like bugs? more ›

Monica Eng at the Trib must be helping Chicago win its title of "most caffeinated" city; she tried 32 different coffees for a story in today's paper about which coffees taste the best. Coming out on top are cups of coffee from Metropolis, Intelligentsia, Coffee Beanery Ltd., Whole Foods, Cafe Colao, Illy, Peet's Coffee (our personal favorite), and Julius Meinl. She also recommends picking up the banana cream tart at Fox & Obel to... more ›

As being "green" continues to grow in trendiness, even clothing designers are hopping on the bandwagon, offering up pieces in everything from tree fibers to our state's favorite crop, corn. more ›

Crime Fiction started life in 2005 as a modestly-budgeted project by some University of Chicago students. It's a sly dark comedy of artistic ambition, deceit and murder (no, it is not based on the day-to-day workings of Chicagoist). When we last chatted with associate producer Marc DeMoss in January, it had just gotten into the Slamdance Film Festival. That screening seems to have been some kind of golden ticket, because since then it's played at... more ›

We were going to post a nice, typically Chicago snow photo, but then we realized how sick we are of talking about (and looking at) the snow. While we find it a nice novelty, our feelings toward the flakes are much like a summer fling — fun and enjoyable for a brief period of time, but after a month or two, we are more than fine with bidding it adieu. We dug into the... more ›

It's easy to watch a lot of crappy comedy on TV. "The Daily Show" is always reliable for some laughs, and "30 Rock" and SNL have their moments. But by and large contemporary TV comedy is a wasteland of retreads, anemia and laughless vulgarity. We're becoming increasingly convinced that the future of television isn't television at all. It's the internet. Because there's plenty of really funny stuff online, and most of it is even free. more ›

One of the great things about living in the city is, we never have to go too far for a good cheeseburger. We’re not discounting un-urban environments though; we once lived in the highest town in the continental United States, and found one of the best cheeseburgers ever. more ›

.. or at least they go less than they used to? Or something? Wait, what's going on here? 9 out of the 10 largest museums in the city saw a decline in visitors last year, but one had a huge leap. The Museum of Science & Industry saw a 34% increase in attendance. People must have really liked that video game exhibit they had last year! more ›

• A school in Gary has had a wooden replica of our Daley Center Picasso in their cafeteria for 35 years. Now they're starting to wonder how much it might be worth.
• Last year everyone was excited because the number of murders in the city dropped below 500, a 25% decline. This year, the number of murders is about the same as last year. At least the number didn't go up!
• A year after the disaster, the Notebaert Nature Museum has a new display, Tsunami: Science & Hope. It focuses on the scientific aspect of the Dec. 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, as well as other tsunamis in history.
• A Bears fuckup has left some season-ticket holders without tickets for the playoffs.
• Amtrak's Hiawatha route is going to break a record for passengers this year. They've already had a half million, breaking last year's record of 477,000. Reasons: A new station at Milwaukee's airport, the rising cost of gas, best on-time record of any Amtrak corridor.
• A suspect has been arrested in a bunch of suburban church robberies. He says he targeted churches because they steal from people to support pastors' fancy cars and big houses.
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Usually Chicagoist is all for getting outside on Earth Day and planting a tree or cleaning up a park.. but this year.. uh.. have you looked outside. Ick. We're staying in. For those of you who love the earth more than us and aren't as big of sissies, there are a few things going on in honor of Earth Day that you may want to get in on. The Brookfield Zoo (home of the horny... more ›

Adding fuel to the theory that The Arts Are Dying in the U.S. (literature, classical music, theater, cinema, etc.) is today’s news from Crain’s Chicago Business that attendance at Chicago’s top 10 museums in 2004 declined for the fourth year in a row. more ›

Wow. Chicago really loves Halloween.. really, really loves Halloween. We started looking into city-sponsored events that are happening to celebrate our 3rd favorite holiday (Christmas 1st, Thanksgiving 2nd) and were overwhelmed by the options. There's a crapload of events going on. We'll try to summarize them here, but if you want a complete list of happenings, download this PDF of a brochure put out by the Mayor's Office of Special Events. Best of all, most events are FREE! more ›

"Pick it up!" a group of children shouted on a recent afternoon to a museum aide who was standing over a flattened pig carcass. "Turn it over!" more ›